In the Heartburn Sutra, it is said that the Dharma Delight Ice Cream is made only with natural emptiness. This recipe, which came neither gradually nor instantaneously after years of meditation and many dozen batches of ice cream, resembles the sutra’s description in that it has no milk, no cream, no eggs, no sugar, no honey, no stabilizers, no preservatives, etc. It does contain ingredients that range from good to miraculous, abounding in almost every known nutrient.
*To those purists who think Dharma Delight Ice Cream should have no ingredients, we offer a gentle reminder: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
Dharma Delight Ice Cream
Serves 6 generously or 1 Laughing Water
Ingredients:
— 1 cup almonds
— 12 – 18 pitted dates (amount depends on size)
— 1 tablespoon bee pollen, optional
— 1/4 – 1/2 cup carob powder, to taste
— 4 – 6 cups cold water, to desired thickness
Recipe:
— Put almonds and pollen in the blender with water up to the 2-cup level, adding the cold water as it blends and becomes thicker. It is too thick when the surface is flat instead of having a vortex (whirlpool) in the center.
— Carefully drop in the dates, one at a time, continue blending and adding water when needed until the mixture is smooth and is about 4 – 5 cups volume.
— Add carob powder gradually, with the blender still going, until the mixture has a chocolate color or tastes as strong as you like.
— Freeze the mixture in an ice cream freezer.